At eight o’clock sharp on the morning after the typhoon cleared, Governor Zhou Weimin stepped up to the podium inside the Provincial Government Hall as every television screen in Jiangnan switched to a live emergency broadcast.
Outside the hall, puddles sparkled along the sunlit city boulevards beneath a clear blue sky, while inside the press room Governor Zhou’s expression remained grave and unyielding.
Beside him stood Legal Director Shen Qiaoqiao in her black trench coat, along with the Chief Prosecutor of Jiangnan Province.
On the table in front of them sat three transparent evidence containers.
Inside lay the core samples extracted from Section 4 of the Southern River Embankment.
The high-definition camera zoomed in on the blackened, rotting bamboo poles and the crumbling gray silt packed inside the concrete shell.
“Citizens of Jiangnan,” Governor Zhou’s voice boomed across the broadcast network. “Last night, Super-Typhoon Black Dragon tested our city to the brink of disaster. While two thousand brave workers risked their lives to hold the line, we uncovered a crime of unforgivable corporate treason.”
Shen Qiaoqiao stepped forward, projecting a dense blockchain audit trail onto the giant screen behind the podium.
